Tabs or Music Notes?

The "purists" are going to kill me, but I say tabs. I can read both, although I can read tab a lot quicker. The reason tab is better, IMO is that the guitar contains identical notes on different strings (ex. the 6th string 5th fret is the same A note as the 5th string open - and there are MANY others). So, if a piece of music shows that A note, I have to figure out which one to play. With tab, I know.

I don't use ither notes or tab for guitar myself but tab is usefull to explain something or get something explained on a forum. Giving a chord voicing with numbers goes much faster then whipping togther the notes, exporting it as a picture, uploading it and then dropping the link. :D For all other purposes and instruments notes, obviously. Using tab with piano is kinda akward. ;)

Kevin, hear me now when I say--LEARN TO USE BOTH standard notation and tab.

If you already know how to read standard notation, great. If not, you're young, your brain cells are not hardened and crusty like a lot of us around here, and you've plenty of time to learn. You'll never regret learning to read standard notation.

Standard notation has the advantage of being able to show the rhythm, the length of time alloted to each note, which tab cannot.

Tab has the advantage of showing you exactly where on the fretboard to play that note, since it can be played in several places, which standard notation does not.

The very best guitar books, IMO, and the only kind I will buy, are those with the standard notation above and the tab below.

LEARN BOTH and thank me later. :twisted:

Margaret

Minor addition: guitar sheet music often does show in which position it should be played using numbers above the score. As well, most sheet music contains directions from either the composer or transcriber. Things like 'play soft here' and 'slowly speed up there'. I've never seen that with tab on the internet, tab is lacking in more then just the rhythm.

+1 with Margaret.

And to think more, you don't have to 'learn' tab. All it takes is two minutes to know the symbols and you can start 'reading' tab.

Standard notation is where you are required to learn it, practice it and more practice.

Obviously tablature is easier to read

I think a lot of notation readers will disagree with you on that one Kevin. I agree Tab is much easier to learn. Notation takes ages to learn in comparison, but once it's learned, notation becomes much more meaningful than tab. Reading notation becomes more fluent than reading tab. I've never met an advanced sight reader of tab.

As Margaret says - Learn both. Tab also has its obvious advantages (e.g. using altered tuning such as DADGAD - With tab it's a piece of cake. With notation, it's a nightmare)

This one comes up round here from time to time.

Being able to read music gives me the distinct advantage that if I go along to an audition it doesn't matter whether they put Tabs or standard notation in front of me, I can play from both.

Being able to read music gives me the huge advantage that if I've never heard of the piece that's been put in front of me and it's in standard notation I can still play a reasonable interpretation because I can read the note values which Tab doesn't give you.

Basically, if you don't know the tune, Tabs won't teach you. Learn to read music.

Best,

A :-)

Tab is easier yes..but standard notation gives you a wider scope: if you buy sheet music in other instruments (lets say Pink Floyd sheet music for piano) you'll be lost if you don't know how to read it :you will have to find the tab for the solo or the chords instead. It doesn't happen with standard notation , where you can even play classical music, and expand your musical vocabulary. There are lots of great music out there that you can investigate if you learn notation, the usual tab arrangements are quite limited in my opinion.It all depends in what goals you want to reach.
One last point: it doesn't take years to learn it, as Fretsource commented..it's a skill that you can learn in a couple of months,but it has to be fully practiced (you won't regret it).
I still recommend William Leavitt book from Berklee.I'm learning lots of tips with this book ,much more than the tab lessons I find in the web. I think David Hodge,Noteboat and lots of instructors will encourage you to read notation.
Hope it helps.

if you've got the time and patience learn notation. it is used for "all" music.
Having said that first to stay on the good side of my "betters" here, i'm old and lazy and tab does exactly what i want quickly and to the point.

if you've got the time and patience learn notation. it is used for "all" music.
Having said that first to stay on the good side of my "betters" here, i'm old and lazy and tab does exactly what i want quickly and to the point.

Exactly how i feel, except i'm not old :wink:

O, twistedlefty, I also am for denny crane for president.

too much of a newb, so ill have to go with tab

Thanks everyone. And yea, I plan on learning to read both because thusfar I've noticed when it comes to reading music it's very convient to look at the tab to "check" if you have your finger(s) in the right place.
Tab is easier yes..but standard notation gives you a wider scope: if you buy sheet music in other instruments (lets say Pink Floyd sheet music for piano) you'll be lost if you don't know how to read it :you will have to find the tab for the solo or the chords instead. It doesn't happen with standard notation , where you can even play classical music, and expand your musical vocabulary. There are lots of great music out there that you can investigate if you learn notation, the usual tab arrangements are quite limited in my opinion.It all depends in what goals you want to reach.
One last point: it doesn't take years to learn it, as Fretsource commented..it's a skill that you can learn in a couple of months,but it has to be fully practiced (you won't regret it).
I still recommend William Leavitt book from Berklee.I'm learning lots of tips with this book ,much more than the tab lessons I find in the web. I think David Hodge,Noteboat and lots of instructors will encourage you to read notation.
Hope it helps.
So basically, I could buy a Pink Floyd sheet music book for piano, and I coud play it on guitar? That's pretty awesome if that's the case.

And whre can I get those books?

Try this one..it seems it has both tab and standard notation:

http://www.amazon.com/Pink-Floyd-Guitar-Recorded-Versions/dp/0634018949/sr=1-20/qid=1168199242/ref=sr_1_20/104-0752720-4903959?ie=UTF8&s=books

I have this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Pink-Floyd-Anthology/dp/076925991X/sr=8-1/qid=1168199455/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-0752720-4903959?ie=UTF8&s=books

good luck.

So basically, I could buy a Pink Floyd sheet music book for piano, and I coud play it on guitar? That's pretty awesome if that's the case.

Well, no. You could play it on a piano. You might be able to play the melody but most piano parts just cannot be played on a guitar. But you could read the melody line and improvise with that, or double the vocal lines when someone is singing.